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Night

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Submitted By JRL0911
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Reminder: Your intro should have the three components: A). A hook, B). Background including a brief summary, title and author’s name, and C). A thesis statement.
See below: Example intro:

Isaac Asimov once said that “to insult someone we call him 'bestial. For deliberate cruelty and nature, 'human' might be the greater insult.” Animals aren’t cruel because they mostly kill for survival, to eat, feed their young, and defend themselves, but humans they kill for racial hatred, jealousy, and power. A perfect example of the latter would be the Holocaust where humans tortured and killed other humans because they were different. In Eliezier Wiesel’s memoir, Night he describes the extreme cruelty and suffering he endures in Auschwitz and other concentration camps as a child inmate during the Holocaust. Wiesel can neither explain nor understand the reasons for human cruelty that he witnesses and endures during the Holocaust, but learns that cruelty breeds more of the same and in the end survival and self-preservation is all that matters. Night sample thesis statements:
You may borrow one, make it your own or write one from scratch: 1. Question: Analyze Elie and other characters’ struggle with faith. You can approach this chronologically or by effects. What is Elie’s final judgment on the benefit/cost of faith? Consider Elie’s interpretations of God’s intentions and use of visual imagery (such as death and night imagery).

Thesis: At the beginning of the novel Elie has a desire to grow his religious faith and connection to God; however, as the story progresses and he witnesses tremendous suffering and loss his faith is shaken and lost.

2. Question: Analyze the essence and effects of dehumanization and human cruelty in Night on the perpetrators and/or the victims. Does Night help explain why people are capable of terrible crimes against humanity? What is Elie’s opinion on why people commit atrocities for both meaningful and meaningless reasons?

Thesis: Wiesel can neither explain nor understand the reasons for human cruelty that he witnesses and endures during the Holocaust, but learns that cruelty breeds more of the same and in the end survival and self-preservation is all that matters.

3. Question: Analyze the father-son relationships in the book, particularly between Elie and his father. How does the relationship change as the plot progresses? Describe what this bond means to Elie.

Thesis: Although Elie and his father do not have much in common, their bond strengthens as the plot progresses and is ultimately what drives Elie to continue living.

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